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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE, (.)lI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNUR T() THE MCGUIRE MANITFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN-CAR DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,002, dated June 25, 1889.

Application filed November 7, 1888. Serial No. 290,228. (No model.)

Y0 all 'wh/ont it may concern:

lle it known that I, WILLIAM A. McG'UIEE, residing at Chicago, in the county o'l (look and State of Illinois, and a citizen ot' the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grain-Car Doors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a longitudinal section of a portion ot a. ear-body, showing my improvements attached. Fig. 2 is a section at line It of Fig. l, showing also in dotted linesthe position of the door and rods when out of use.

This invention relates to that class of graincar doors which are adapted to be raised and held against the inside of the roof of the car to allow the car to be used for the reception and transportaiimi oi' lumber and other rough freight, and has for its objects to construct a rod of peculiar construction adapted to be 'applied to each side of such a grain-cardoor,

whereby, when so applied, the rods will furnish a iirm support for the door either in or out ot' use, and the rods will be protected from being broken or bent when the door is swung up, by reason of their position between the roof of the car and the door; to provide a grain-car door secured by such rods with ahinged extension or additional section to enable the height ot the door to be varied to suit the amount and chzn'actcr of the grain 'in the car, which hinged extension or additional section can be swung up with the main door against the root of the car, and to improve generally' the construction and operation of this class of grain-car doors,whieh objects I accomplish as illustrated in the drawings, and hcreinat'ter fully described.

That which I claim as new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents an ordinary grain-car door having hinged to its upper edge a flap n. This tlap maybe ot' any width desired. It is so hinged that it will fold against the inside ot' the door A, t0 which it may be secured by one or more buttons, hooks, or otherwise. As shown, a button 7Ly is used for this purpose. \Vhen the Iiap is raised and in the same plane as the door A,

it can be secured by hooks l), secured to the side of the car-body.

l; is a metal rod, bent, as shown, at or near the point oi' attachment to the door and having` its ends bent to adapt them to be secured in eyes or sockets c, secured to the side ofthe car near the upper corners of the door-opening. Each double rod B passes through an eye d, in one side of the door near its upper edge, the bend e in each rod B coming at or 6o just below the eye d. Each 1odl3,atits bending-point e, engages with ahookf on the door when the door is raised vertically, and as it is important to have such hooks j' project as little as possible the rod B is flattened at the point e, which engages with the hook, and thereby a smaller hook can be used than would be the case it' the rod .l were left round at such point c.

It will be seen that the two sides b Wol 7o each double rod l are not parallel, but that the outer portion b is inclined. Such inclined part o furnishes a strong bracing-support for the door. Each hook j' is placed on the door A at such a distance from its upper edge that each rod I3 will engage itwhcn the door has nearly reached the limit of its vertical upward movement.

C represents the side of a car.

D is the l'loor.

E is the roof.

Then the car is loaded withgrailnthc door A is in the position shown in Fig. l. If it is deemed desirable to have a door ot' greater height than is afforded by A, the tlap (L is turned up in line with the door and locked in place by means ot' the dogs or catches l), which engage the upper edge of the tlap. It' the door A is oi su t'ticient height without the addition ot. the i'l ap (t, such tlap can be folded 9o against the inside of the door A and locked, as already described.

lVhen it is desired to have the door out ot the way or use the car for transporting lumber, the door A is raised vertically until the hooks f are engaged by the rods B at the bends e. The door,with the rods B lying against its t'acc, is then swung upward against the root of the car, where it will be caught and held by a suitable hook g, pivoted to one of roo the cross-beams near the center of the car. Vhen the door and rods are thusswung up, it will be seen that the entire space inside of the car is left unobstructed, so that all of the space may be utilized for lumber.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The door A, provided with the hooks f and having the .flaps a hinged to its upper edge, in combination with the bent rods 3 B, connected to the door A, each rod B consisting of an inclined portion b', and a vertical portion b2, both of said portions b b2 being pivot-ally connected at their upper ends to the frame-work of a car, whereby, when the door A is swung up and caught against the roof of the car, the rods B B will aid in holding the door and the flap in such position, substantially as specified.

2. A grain-car door A, in combination with two bent rods B B, lwhich are connected to the doorA, each rod consistingo'f an inclined portion b and a vertical portion b2, and eyes or socket-s c c, into which the ends of the rods B B are placed, substantially as and vfor the purpose specified.

3. A grain-car door A, in combination with two bent rods B B, connected to the door A,

each rod consisting of an inclined bracingl portion b', a vertical portion b2, and a flattened portion e, and eyes or sockets c c, connected to the frame-Work of the car and into which the ends of the rods B B are placed, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4, A grain-car door A, in combination with two bent rods B B, connected to the door A, each rod consisting of an inclined bracing portion b', a, vertical portion b2, and a lattened portion e, eyes or sockets c. c, secured to the frame-Work of the car and into which the ends ot the rods B B are placed, and

specified.

5. A rod for grain-car doors, bent, as shown,

to have an inclined bracing portion b and a vertical portion Z22- and a flattened portion e, and having its ends adapted to be hinged to the frame-work of a car, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE. Vitn esses z' ALBERT H. ADAMS, L, L. BOND. 

